New lifesaving emergency app, Echo112, plans to help save you in your moment of need

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A new app that aims to save your bacon in your moment of need has been launched for Android and iOS users who need emergency help.

Dubbed Echo112, the app aims to be your "Guardian Angel on Your Smartphone" by providing exact location information to emergency services when needed.

The app, which works anywhere that you can get a GPS signal, displays local emergency services' numbers for users to call and shows and transmits nearby addresses and coordinates so that the emergency operator can get the user’s exact location via the echo112.com website.

Jocelyn Corniche, a hospital ER anaesthetist based in Lausanne, Switzerland, developed the app after getting frustrated working in the air ambulance service by just how hard it was to find people.

Echo112 is free to download and there is no need to register or provide any personal details.

When the user needs assistance the app is activated by pressing the SOS button: the emergency number for the country will be displayed and a call initiated to the operator. The user’s exact location is sent to the echo112.com website and the operator can then visit the site and enter the user’s mobile number for their precise location, including coordinates and the nearest full address. If they have no mobile data connectivity then their location is sent via SMS.

The app, which has been available in Switzerland for over two years, has already been downloaded 150,000 times.